This post is borrowed from loveablepsycho from Randomfuckery. He illustrates the need for looking at the big picture and talks about expectations when it comes to wanting to get in shape.

The discipline to exercise is an admirable thing. I workout a lot but I find motivation from others that I observe. For instance; it’s corpse in a icebox cold outside right now, but I still see people jogging daily. I’m not jogging outside unless I have a whale blubber overcoat, so more power to those folks. It motivates me to GO TO THE GYM, and run on the TREADMILL. The discipline comes from a few sources within, one of them being vanity. Let’s face it, we all want that ‘I can go to the beach whenever’ body. Whether it be for self confidence or to catch others’ attention. The problem with that, is that this want for a perfect body is fueled by unrealistic influences. The most prominent influence would probably be magazines and movies. I know mine was, from when I was younger and watched Rambo and The Terminator and decided I wanted muscles like Stallone and Schwarzenegger. Today, however, I’m a bit more realistic. I’m muscular but I still want to have full range of motion. No need to have arms so big you can’t wipe your own ass without a rag on a stick.

There’s an alarming number of people who see these influences and set out to get in shape, and get discouraged when they don’t see results fast enough, and/or start to realize the amount of dedication it takes to get in shape (and stay there). So, because of that, I think we should call these unfluences “unfluences” because they tend to dissuade people from fitness than motivate.

There’s a secret though, that most people are unaware of. The majority of the celebrities and models you see, don’t look that way 24/7. Also, there’s methods to making someone worthy of a magazine cover. Airbrushing is one such method. Also, actors usually have “normal” looking bodies until it’s time for them to get in shape for a particular role, and that’s when they hire a trainer and go absolutely bazonkular on their workouts and diets. That’s all good, but it takes more effort to do that shit all year around. We all have our slips though, where we ate something we know we had no business eating. I bought a Pepsi last night. I had to check my elbows for cleavage (you know what elbow cleavage is, don’t look at me like that).

But, these slips do very little damage to whatever progress you may have made. We all trip up when we walk, at some point, but we keep walking. Fitness is no different in my eyes. LL Cool J made the cover of a new Men’s Fitness magazine. A friend of mine said he looks like he had some sort of surgery to look right, but all he did, is maintain discipline. I’m not sure if there was any airbrushing of any kind, and I’m sure he doesn’t need any. I’ve seen one of his workouts on television. He get’s it in. But, what I’m almost positive of was a slight trick of the lighting on the set. Either way you slice it, LL is in incredible shape and that’s the end of it. It goes to show that hard work really does pay off in the end.

We all love beautiful looking people, or just plain ol’ attractive looking people, they’re fun to look at. But you can’t see them, and then compare yourself to them. Especially if they wear a size 1 and you wear a size 6. Don’t even bother doing that, it’s silly. Accept whatever body type you have, and get in shape for that size but placing unrealistic goals will derail your progress SO quickly, you’ll wonder if you ever made an effort at all.

I exercise a lot. Family, real-life friends, and Facebook friends usually ask me for advice on how to lose weight. It’s usually a seasonal thing, for example; “As soon as the holiday season is over, I’ll eat right again. I just need to know what exercises to do…”

After a while, you start to know which people are serious and which ones are just blowing smoke up their own ass (cuz I don’t believe that shit smh). I give advice anyway. I mean, you never know who’ll actually go workout like they said they would. But I figured I may as well write a blog on the subject, post it on Facebook and let everyone read.

All of these tips are to be taken seriously. It may make you laugh, but…nah forreal, I’m serious. Follow these tips and you should be ok…

2. Don’t lie down after you eat. Wait a hour or so, let the food digest. I don’t remember the particulars, but, I remember you get fat if u eat and lie down immediately after, so don’t do it.

3. If you can buy it from a vending machine, leave it alone. Think aobut it…how many healthy snacks do you find in vending machines?…….not many.

4. Take your lunch to work instead of buying it. I need to do this more often my self. Not only is it healthier, but it’ll save money. TRUST me on that.

5. Stop drinking sugary ass drinks. I’m guilty of this too, but I still manage to drink 1-2 liters of water daily. So THERE! Anyway, liquid sugar is easier to ingest than solid, so that’s a major way for you to grow underarm and back tiddies. And you know that extra ass some people have just under their gut? Yeah……..put that soda down….

6. Join a gym. I look at it like this: if you’re PAYING for a membership, it may make you get up and go instead of wasting money. That’s how I see it anyway. Makes sense though. Not to mention, obviously unless you’ve spent money on some equipment, the gym is gonna have more shit for you to use so it make even more sense. You got a treadmill? Aiight then.

7. If you KNOW you’re gonna get lazier as the day goes on, workout earlier in the day. Most of the time it’s better to workout when you wake up anyway. Gives you more energy and just plain ol’ makes you feel good. And, in lazy terms, you get that shit out the way and won’t have to worry about it for the rest of the day.

8. You need to have full range of motion and some mobility when you workout. So, wearing a damn sweater, some jeans, and some ugly, leaned over Reeboks aren’t gonna help much. Get some nice shoes for running/jogging, some shorts, or sweats and a t-shirt. Try not to look like a ‘tard. Kay?

9. Get off your ass. This may be one of the most important tips I can give. All the other tips don’t really mean shit if all you say is, “Eh, I’ll go tomorrow…”. Even I get lazy sometimes but fuck all that, I gets it in so I can afford to….but I still feel like a fat-ass when I skip out so, there you go.

10. Find some proper motivation. We all need a fire lit under our asses to do things. Broke folk tend to get jobs. Unattractive folk tend to be super nice people (they sorta have to). If you get winded while playing w/ your kids, running for the bus…or just walking, you may wanna exercise. My motivation(s) were the old Stallone and Schwarzenegger movies. I don’t plan to be as huge or ripped as them, but I always wanted muscles. Also, when I was in the Army, I let myself go a little. I actually felt my stomach shake while I was walking one day (there was a Burger King across the street from the barracks *shrugs*). So for the next couple months, I’d spend 4 hours in the gym, AFTER running 2-3 miles.

11. DO NOT GIVE UP. Just because you don’t get the results you want in a couple of weeks, doesn’t mean you give up. Why would you? Quit, and you’ll never see them. Keep pushing yourself. I used to hang up pictures of certain celebrities whose body I admired, just to keep me focused. Try it. Hang a picture of Janet Jackson or The Rock on your fridge.

12. Switch up your workout routine. Don’t pick one routine, and do it for a whole year. Alternate every month or so. Your body will get used to whatever you’re doing, and will stop reacting. You won’t feel the burn anymore, and whatever results you saw…will stop. Change your exercises.

14. Working out can get a lil boring sometimes. Especially if you’re on a treadmill. So, get a mp3 player, or iPod and listen to some music that you know’ll pump you up. I alway make a playlist just to run to.

OK, so, this is it for now, cuz I could go on and on and on. I hope you learned something, and maybe got motivated. There’s a serious obesity problem in the USA, we gotta do something about this shit. Plus we all know we’ve seen someone that was too big to wear what they were wearing and said, “now they know they wrong for that…”. So don’t be that person wearing some shit you have no business wearing….cuz I’ll laugh at you.